Planned Parenthood Votes on Thursday rolled out a $3 million television ad buy in Pennsylvania on Thursday hitting Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz over his stance on abortion access.
The 30-second ad accuses Oz of wanting to make the procedure “a crime in Pennsylvania” and being “too extreme” for the state on the issue.
Oz said during the state’s Republican Senate primary that he is against abortion except in the cases of rape and incest or when the mother’s life is in jeopardy.
“I respect those with a different view, but as a heart surgeon I’ve held the smallest of human hearts in the palm of my hand and will defend the sanctity of life,” Oz said in a statement on Friday after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. “I am relieved that protecting the lives of America’s unborn children will once again be decided by the people through their elected representatives.”
Oz is the latest Republican in a close Senate race to get hit with ad buys over the issue of abortion.
On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood Action Fund launched a $1.5 million ad buy in Wisconsin hitting incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on abortion. In Nevada, EMILY’s List, a group committed to electing Democratic women who support abortion rights, rolled out a $2.1 million buy hitting Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt over his anti-abortion stance.
Democrats are also looking to highlight the issue in New Hampshire’s Senate race, with incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) rolling out a television ad vowing to fight back against a nationwide abortion ban. Hassan’s campaign is the first battleground Senate campaign to release a television ad on the issue since the Supreme Court’s decision last week ending federal abortion protections.
And earlier this week in Florida, Rep. Val Demings (D), who is challenging incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), rolled out a digital hitting Rubio over his abortion stance.
Polls show that the majority of Americans disagree with the high court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, sending the question of abortion access to the states. However, Republicans say they are skeptical that the issue will even be a priority for most voters come November with record inflation and gas prices rocking the country.
A polling memo released by the Republican State Leadership Committee earlier this week found that only 8 percent of voters polled said they considered abortion to be the most important issue to them, while 37 percent said the same about the high cost of living and inflation.